Slug catcher or yarn cleaner



March 4, 1930. I G. 5 BECKMAN 1,749,461

SLUG'CATCHER OR YARN CLEANER Filed June 8. 1926 v 2 Sheets-Sheet l March4, 1930; BECKMAN 1,749,461

SLUG CATCHER OR YARN CLEANER Filed J uni 8. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Mar. 4, 1950 UNITED STATES ma n PATENT OFFE GUSTAF s. BECKMAN,or onans'ron nnonn ISLAND, ASSIGNOR T UNIVERSAL WIND- I-NG COMPANY, orBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A conronarion or MASSACHUSETTS SLUG CATCHER ORYARN CLEANER Application filed June 8, 1526. Serial No. 114,562.

' This invention relates to an improved slug-' catcher or yarn-cleanerfor use with textile machines for removing slugs, bunches, motes,

or other foreign matter from thread or yarn during the process ofwinding or otherwise transferring the'material.

The prmcipal ob ect of the invention is to provide a slitted or slottedmember through which theyarn or thread draws to scrape en- 0 largementsor foreign matter therefrom with said member operated automatically bythe movement of the strand feeding through the slit to dislodge thelint, dust and other particles collected thereon. V

.A particular object of the invention is to provide a slug-catcher ofthe type specified which is vibrated or oscillated under the swayingaction of'the strand drawing there- 1 through, wherebythe yarn slides inthe slit or opening to prevent it from wearing grooves in the sidesthereof, and also to push out the I lint and other particles and toshake off or dislodge'the accumulation. which may collect I thereon. V I

29 Further objects of the improvement are set forth in the followingspecification which describes a preferred embodiment of the invention asillustrated by the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

" Fig.1 is a view Showing a portion of a winding machine and itsyarn-tensioning means and illustratingthe present improved slug-catcheras applied to use therewith;

which the strand leads from the tension-tie.

vice through the slug-catcher and thence to the thread-guide; k a

Fig. 3 is an enlarged end view'of the slug catcher shown inconnectionwith the tension device;

f relation.

Fig. 2 is aplan view of the same. showing Fig.4 is a detailed view ofthe main slug 'sion-device for this purpose.

My improved slug-catcher or yarn-cleaner comprises essentially a slittedor slotted member which is mounted to adapt it to vibrate or oscillateback and forth under the action of the strand drawing through its slitor opening, whereby as it scrapes the foreign matter off from the yarnthe movement of the strand in the slit will push the accumulation out ofthe slit and the vibration of the member will act to shake it off.

Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings illustrate a conventional type ofdrunrwinding machine for winding conical packages of yarn or thread withthe material laid in crossing coils thereon. As illustrated in theseviews, 2 .designates the cylindrical drive-roll or frictiondrum and 3 isthe conical mandrel or coneholder on which the package is wound. Thecone-holder 3 rests against the surface of the drive-roll orfriction-dru1n2 at the start of the winding and the yarn, thread orother attenuated material g is fed between the drum and the holder andtraversed longitudinally thereof by means of a reciprocating threadguide 4. During the winding the drive-roll 2 is continuously rotatedfrom its shaft 5 and the cone-holder or mandrel 3 is supported to adaptthe cop orcone to contact therewith to be driven therefrom, with theholder receding from the roll as the yarn is'built up on the package.

'The thread-guide 4 slides on a horizontal rod 6 and is reciprocatedfrom a suitable cam 7 having a helical groove engaged'by a Stud orroller 8 connected with the guide. As these elements ofthewinding-mechanism are of well-known construction and arrangement theyare not herein shown and described in detail.

In winding machines of the present type it is usual to apply tension tothe strand 3 as it draws from its supply and feeds to the thread-guide4, and the reference numeral 10 which is mounted the lower tension disk14 which cooperates with an upper disk 15 of the same form. The disks 14and 15 are of usual construction, having their abutting facessubstantially flat and their peripheral. edges flaring outwardly toadapt the strand to be drawn into place between them. The disks 14 and15 have axial bores through which extends vertical stud or pin 17projecting upwardly from the shelf 13 of the bracket 11 and held at thetopin an car 18. The ear 18 forms a isa' zfinger or prong 23 which isdisposed .to cross a similarly-shaped prong 24 reaching-v upwardlyairomone side ofithe shelfzor rest 13. a The prongs'23-and 24 provideguidingmeans for directing the strand y down under. the circularrim 22oftheguardQO whereby it may be drawn into. placebetween thefaces of thetwo tensi0n-disks'14 and 15.1.

Slidable on the vertical pin 17' of the =tension-device is a, shoulderedsleeve 26 adapted to carry weights 2'? which act itopressitheupe pertension-disk 15. down: againstthealower disk 14. Theparticular.arrangement of the Y tensionrdevicfe 10 asabove describedforms vention. That is to say, the tension-device is thesubject-matter'of a separate application and has no directjrelation tothe presentinherein illustrated merely to show the method in which thepresent improved slug-catcher operates in connection 'therewith,,,butthe present invention is also adapted for use .with. other forms oftension-means.

In the present embodiment of the invention the slug-catchingoryarncleaning ele:

. ment .30 is constructed of sheet-metalparts and pivotally mounted on awire orrod. 31; supported from'the armor bracketll-fon thetension-device 10. Conveniently, the;rod-

3 1 may bescrewed into a threaded hole 32 in an ear orlug 33 whichprojects downwardly from the under side of thesh'elf or rest 1-3.

Acheck-nut 34 on the rod 31 is screwed 11p;

ainst he d o the ua to fixedly; secure the rod in the position-asillustrated Figs. .1 to 3. ThBmQllteI end oi the rodfil is bent into aright-angled arm 35 which bentaro-und again in the extension 36 disposedparallelwitliand oilset from the-main;

portion ofthe rod; The. slug-catcherhQlis piyotally mounted on the rod3l.between its o k or ntea m nd he ar 34 1 adapt-it to rock back andforth on-ahori zonta axi Refe ng ra ti la y t fiend the l ga tcherfi hee n-i tw mpri s meneetedmembers49 1-.

Referring to Fig. 6, the main-member 40 is constructed witha lowerhorizontal strip 42 having an upwardly bent circular ear 43 at its endwhich is provided with a hole or aperture 47 for receiving the pivot-rod31. At its opposite end the strip 42 is bent upwardly at right-angles inan arm 48 having a hook-like extension 49 atits-en-d. The arm 48isprovided at its lower end with an aperu 50 ar ange in lin wi h theaperture 47 in the car 43 andserving as a second pivotal bearing forreceiving the" rod 31; A rightangled extension 51 on the side of the arm48 is bent back in a finger 52 which bows upwardly above the aperture 50and is formed with a bent-over lugor stop 53 at its end. A threaded hole54aextends-through the doubledover or folded portionotthe extension 51,.andon the opposite sideof the arm 48 is a hooked fingeror stop-lug 55.

The other element4lzof the slug-catcher consists of a sheet-metal memberhaving a,

arm 56. The strip 57 is, adapted-to overliethe right-angled extension 51of the arm 4'8 on, the main member 40. with its slot58 enclosingthepivot-rod 31, see Figs. 3 and5. A Screw 59 extends through asecond slot60in the member 41 and is screwed into the hole 54 in the member40 tosecure the parts of the slug-catcher infixedrelation. Tyhe slot 58serves to hold the member 41 with its arm'56 in parallel relation. withrespect to the arm;

' 48 on the member-40, seeEig. 5, their opposite edges being spacedapart to form the slit or opening for-the va-rn. By releasing the screw59 the member 41 may be slid on the member 40 toadjustthe width of theopeningor slit between theedgesofth e arms- 56 and 48 in accordance with"the size or thickness-of the yarn to be operated "upon, It is to beparticularly noted that the adjacent edges-of the arms and 56 arenotched or cutaway at their lower ends whereby; when. the arms are adusted in opposlte relation. shownin ll ig.

5, a circular. opening61is piiovided forzthe;

escape of lint, dirt or other: foreign lmat-ter gathered by thecleaningledges of-the slugcatcher'and scrapedior pushed downwardly inthe slit by theaction of the yarn as it Plays along these edges in themanner as herein aftermorefullyexplained. I Referring now particularly.to vFigs. and

4 of the drawings, when the slug-catcher 3.0

is ,mounted on itspivot orbearing-rod' 31 by means of its apertures 47and -5,0'it is freejto I rock to carry itsslit or,op ening back andforth 1 across the vertical plane. {of its: axis Wh n th e fi s gs t9the r as 11 Ilia; thea er- 12 55 w ll; bi: g

up against the outer crooked portion 35 of the rod 31to limit itstilting motion in this direction; while, on the other hand, when the'material draws through the tension-device 10 in a substantiallyhorizontal course it will lead'through the slit or opening between thearms 56 and 48 of the slug-catcher 30 in the manner as shown in Fig.1,and means are provided for holding the yarn substantially in this pathto prevent it from rising up out of the slit in the slug-catcher. In thepresent embodiment of the invention this means consists of a drop-wireor stop-lever 62 which forms a part of the stopping-mechanism of thewinding machine herein illustrated.

. I The drop-wire 62 may consist of awire'arm or'lever which, as shownin Figs. land 2, is pivoted to a cross-rod 63. The outerend of the lever62 is formed with a hooked portion 64 having a horizontal cross-bar65under which the strand y normally draws. The cross-bar 65 is bentdownwardly at its end in a curved abutment 66 which prevents the yarnfrom riding off therefrom," and a portion v67 of the wire is thenextended upwardly in an inclined hook which serves as a guard or guideto direct the yarn down in under the cross-bar. see Fig. 3.

:Itwill be understood that the drop-wire or stop-lever 62 isnormallysuspended in raised position by the strand y passing under not hereinshown or described.

its cross-bar and the outer end 36 of the rod 31 serves as a stop toprevent the drop- Wire from being lifted to a further extent,

supply is exhausted the drop-wire 62 will be released, whereby its outerend will swing downwardly under theaction of gravity to set in motionthe stoppinganechanism which arrests the operation of the windingmachine. The stopping-mechanism of the ma-- chine is not hereindescribed or illustrated as it forms no part of the present inventionand may be of any conventional type. The

yarn y is prevented from being'released or dropping out of the bottom ofthe slit in the slug-catcher 30 by the cross-member or finger 52, theedge of which will be engaged by the yarn as it slides down in the slit.

Theyarn g draws from the drop-wire or stop-lever 62 across a thread-bail70, see Fig.

.1', and thence leads through the eye in the thread-guide 4. Thethread-bail 70 is usually arranged to be operated to lift the yarn outfrom the thread-guide when the winding of the package is arrested, butas the arrangement and method of operation of this device has-norelationto the present invention it is The improved slug-catcher operates in thefollowing novel manner to secure a more efiicient cleaning of the yarn,thread or other strand material. It has been explained that the yarn. yis threaded through the tensionon to the cone-holder 3 the thread-guide4' traverses the strand back and forth from one end of the cop to theother as indicated by the full and dotted lines in Fig. 2 which show thethread-guide at the extremes of its traverse.

The member 41 of the slug'catcher 30 is adjusted on the member 4.0 insuch relation that the size of the slit or opening between the arms 48and 56 will permit the yarn to pass freely therethrough, but with theedges of the opening bearing lightly against the sides of the yarn. Inthis way the slug-catcher acts to scrape and clean the yarn to removeany enlargements, bunches, slugs, motes, lint, dirt or'other foreignmatter which may be present in the cotton or other materal. This foreignmater is usually collected in the slit through which the yarn draws andit may eventually build up into a hard mass and become compacted to suchan extent that it will clog the slit and prevent the yarn. from.

drawing freely therethrough. Moreover. when a certain amount of lint anddirt has collected in'and around the slit it will have a tendency toadhere to the yarn and therefore the slug-catcher will lose itsefficiency for thoroughly cleaning the material. In the improved deviceas herein shown and described accumulation of fluff, lint and dirt inand around the slit of the slug-catcher 30 is prevented by the'action ofthe yarn which sways back and forth during its traverse by thethread-guide and is also caused to play up and down in the slit toscrape and clear the collected matter therefrom. That is to say, as thethread-guide 4 reciprocates between the extremes of its traverse thestrand y will] be vlbrated or swayed back and forth from a to b asindicated in Fig. 2. This travers- 111g motion of the strand 9 istherefore communicated to the slug-catcher 30 to cause the latter torock back and forth between its extremes of position as illustrated inFigs. 3 i

and 40f the drawings.

The thread-guide 4 reciprocates at a high rate of speed and consequentlythe swaying yarn imparts a very rapid oscillation to the slug-catcher 30to maintain it constantly in ongw h s be prevented from wearing. oracuttmggrooves;

thestoprlerer 62: That. is to say, since the path ref the between thetension-device 12 1 1 thestopz-lereri62 remains in substantially h samehorizontal planetherocking-of the slngecatcheru30 will cause asrelativeradial movement of vthe yarnz toward and away from.itsanisofoscillation: It will thus-be seen t-ha sincecthe::yar-n hasthis sliding .2 motion in 'th6Sl1lgr.-'G2LtCl11130 it i will.

in the edges of the slit, and further, .itawill have a tendency-to pushthelint and dirt down throngh the slit to cause it to escape throughtheopeningfil atthe bottom thereof; This sliding action of the yarn-inthe slit of the slng catcherth-us augments-the cleaning actio due to:the wibratory -notion of the latter, which acts of itself to dislodgeand shake 0t? theipa-rticlesof lint and other foreign mat, ter; It hasbeen demonstrated that this peculiar action between the yarn and theslugcatcher maintains the slit in the slug-catcher substantiallyclear-of lint, dirt and otheraccumulation, thus preventing it frombeing.

clogged to hinder the proper action of the device --wh-i-le keepingallofthe parts clean. The-improved slugscatcher is therefore renderedmoreefficient tor-the urpose described and is also less liable to wear anddeterioration so that-it ismore durable in use.

lVhile I hare herein'illustrated and deseribeda prefer-red tormofconstruction of thedevice it isolovious thatvarions 'lIlOdl'fi.cationsemay-be made in the structureand arrangernent of its partsWithout: departing from the spirit orscope of the invention.

Therefore, without-limiting myselfin this spe t, I cl im:

1. Aslng-catcheror yarn-cleaner for oper- It'll-lg: on a longitudinallyand laterally moving-strand comprising an. element :having a slitthrough which the strand draws and adapted to be oscillated transverselyof the path pftravelof the strandiunder the lateral moven lent of the:latterrwhereby the strand is:causedtoslide loi g tuzdina'llyot the slitp'event the accumulation of lint" and forei-g mattertlrerein;

2. -.Aislu gpatcherjorryarnecleaner foroper ating on alongitudinally.andlaterallymovstrand comprising'a slittedi membermovany, mounted; to. adapt it 2 to be oscill-ated I transyersely'ofzthedirection o t 'feed I of the strand'mnder: thezlet'eral I traversingmotion of the latter as. it "draws throughthe slit whereby thestrandiscaused to continuouslyslide in: the-slit to'prevent-the accumulationof lint, flyand foreignrnatter on the member.

'Aslng-catoher :or yarn-cleaner for operating on a-longit-udinally and:laterallyamovingstrand comprising a member having a slit through whichthe strand draws, and means for pivotally mounting said member to adaptV ititooseillate bac-kiand forth on ananis substantially parallel'withthe course of the strand under the lateral 'movement of thelatterwherebyth'e strand is caused to slideback and torthinwthe slit toprevent the accumulation oflint and foreign; matter therein.

4. In a slug-catcher or. yarn eleaner for operating on alongitudi'nallyand' laterally moving strand, thecoinb'ination of 'a member having a:slit through which the strand draws,- means for pivotal'l-y;mountingsaid member to adapt it toroek upon an a'nissub stantially parallelwiththe eourse of the strand whereby the swaying actionoft-he latterwill oscillate the pivoted member and thereby cause the; strand'to slidelongitudinally otits slit to prevent the accumulation of'lint andforeign matter therein, and means tor'li miting the extent of rockingmovement of said member-on its pivot under the lateral traversing motionof the strand drawing thro-ugh itsslit. p V

5." An improved slug-catcher or yarncleaner for operating on alongitudinally and laterally moving strand comprising" two membersarranged inopposi-te parallelrelation'with an opening between theiredges throughwhich the yarn draws, means to adjust said members to varythe Width of the opening, and means for .movablymoul ting the members toadapt- .them to be oscillated" transversely of the course of'the-yarnunder the "lateral traversing motion of the latterwhereby theyarnis'caused to slide longitudinall-y ot'the opening between-theopposite members to prevent the accumulation oflintand'ioreign-1natter-therei-n. I

asug-catcher or yarn-cleaner for operating on '2t"l0nglt-L1(l111&lly andlaterally moving strand, the combination ofa member having spacedbearings to adapt it to be rocks ably supported and provided with an armha ving asubstantiallystraight edge, a second member adjustable onthe'first member and provided With'an arm adapted to beset with its edgein spaced relation tothe-edge of the arm onthe-other member to. form aslit through-which the strand draws;- and means for pivotally mountingsaid members as =a- Whole to adapt-them to oscillate trans versely': ofthe course of j the strand whereby the latter will slide longitudinallyof the slit vthroughwhichit draws to. prevent the"accu'-= ice mutationo-tlint and 5 other foreign mattertherein. p

7. In a device of the type specified for operating on a longitudinallyand laterally moving strand, the combination of pivotmeans, and a memberrockably mounted on said pivot-means and provided with a vertical slitthrough which the strand of yarn or thread draws, said member beingadapted to be'rocked transversely of the course of the strand during thelateral traverse of the latter whereby the strand is caused to slidelongitudinally of the slit to dislodge lint, flufi' and particles offoreignmatter scraped off from the yarn.

8. In a device of the type specified for operating on a longitudinallyand laterally moving strand, the combination of a pivotrod having anoffset arm at its end, a slitted member rockably mounted on the rod andmeans on said member adapted to engage the offset arm of the rod tolimit the rocking motion of the member under the lateral traversingmotion of the strand drawing through its slit.

9. In a device of the type specified, the combination of a rod, a memberhaving spaced bearings for rockably mounting it on the rod, an uprightarm on said member, a second member having an opening through which therod extendsand an upright arm adapted to be adjusted with its edge inspaced relation with respectto the arm on the first member, and meansfor securing the two members with their arms in fixed relation toprovide a slit through which the yarn draws. In testimony whereof Ihereunto alfix my signature.

GUSTAF S. 'BECKMAN.

